IPad Update

I have received at least one question about checking out the Teacher IPads, so this post will clarify where we are at.

As you can see we have the IPads, and while our initial accounts were set up, we have not been given access to them to customize the IPads to fit Schenk's needs.

What we have are 27 IPads that is customized with apps that are of little use. For example, several word processing and presentation programs that are heavily dependent on  personalizing the Ipad for individual use.  The video capabilities - photos and videos - are really nice but at this time there is no way to get the content off the IPads.

Most of our databases and websites on Links 4 Kids are flash based, but IPads have no native flash support so those site will not function.  So, what we have right now is an internet device that can view any non-flash website.

Tumble Books, one of our databases, is in the process of converting their books to work with the Ipad. I would say currently 50 books are converted. All you need to do is go to tinyurl.com/scharks and select Tumble Books. You will see a Works with Ipad tab and all those books are good to go.

There is also a Follett App that will give you access to all our purchased ebooks. If you are interested in accessing those ebooks on an IPad I can help you set that up. Currently most of our collection is  middle to late elementary non-fiction books. If you want more information on the ebooks themselves checkout the ebook section in the Tech In guide.

There is an app for Google Drive which allows you to log into your district account and access your files. Google Drive on IPad is only a viewer though, you are going to get more function with Google's IPad friendly site.  All you need to do is go to mmsd.org and log on to your MMSD email. Google should automatically take you to their IPad friendly interface. There you can access your email, calendar, contacts, and documents. An advantage to Google's site is your documents are not only viewable but editable.

I know many 3rd graders are using IXL for math. Grant has stated he believes it works with the IPad. It looks like most activities in IXL will work fine in the IPad.

Can I use IXL on an iPad? 

Yes, an iPad is a great way to practice skills and win awards on IXL! A few IXL features, such as reports and interactive graphing skills, utilize Adobe Flash and, therefore, are not supported on the iPad. We recommend using a computer for these tasks.

With all that said if you'd still like to check out an IPad before its ready for prime time, I am cool with that. Remember checkouts will be for 48 hours and they should not be taken off site. All IPads are due at 2:00 on Friday or I come collecting.